


Cuddles

by HayamaRei



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Sort Of, good thing they have a Caboose, talking about feelings is hardly their strong suit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-19 01:53:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22103284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HayamaRei/pseuds/HayamaRei
Summary: Caboose has a surprise for Tucker and Wash. It all spirals from there.
Relationships: Lavernius Tucker/Agent Washington
Comments: 17
Kudos: 66





	Cuddles

**Author's Note:**

> Long night shifts leave my mind wandering and this time it wandered right back into rvb. And I like me some light Tuckington. 
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy!

"You have to keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them." Caboose instructs, while leading Tucker and Wash down the hallway towards his room. 

Tucker and Wash share a look and then Wash nods. "They're closed."

"Good." Caboose sounds pleased. "'Cause I can never tell with the helmets on." 

They're not closed. But in their defence, it's never a good idea to follow Caboose blindly. Things tend to explode around him a lot. Also Caboose told them he had a surprise for the two of them and Tucker has a bad past with Caboose's surprises.

The two watch as their teammate looks around to make sure no one else is there and then opens the door to his room very slowly then instructs them to follow him in. He doesn't question how they know where to turn or how they find the door.

Caboose's room is cluttered with all sorts of junk, from a ridiculous amount of pillows stacked in a bad artist's rendition of a pillow fort to several piles of scrap metal and other electrical shit. Something small sits in the middle of the room, covered by a cartoon patterned sheet. 

"Okay. You can open your eyes now." Caboose says and he's now obviously exited. He waits a moment. "Are they open?" 

"Yes, Caboose." The other two answer in unison. Wash adds, "What are we looking at?" 

"Ah. Yes. You need to take your helmets off first."

"Why?"

"Because that's the rules if you want your surprise."

Tucker almost says he doesn't in fact want a surprise but Wash heaves a sigh and goes to remove his helmet so Tucker does the same, sigh included. So does Caboose, sigh not included. 

If the other's excitement hadn't been clear in his voice before then his face would've been a dead giveaway, Caboose's eyes sparkle and half his face is taken up by a huge grin. 

He takes a moment to look at them then pulls the sheet off the thing in the middle to reveal a tiny vaguely dog shaped robot. 

"Ta dah!" 

Tucker and Wash look at the robodog, then at each other, then at Caboose, then back down at the robodog. 

"Caboose, what is this?" Wash asks again. 

"It doesn't have guns, does it?" Tucker asks too, because you never know with the blue donned soldier. 

Caboose scoffs. "Of course it doesn't have guns, it's Cuddles! Puppies don't have guns, Tucker. Except Freckles, but he's very special." He informs promptly. 

"So you wanted to show us your new puppy?" Wash asks carefully. 

Caboose shakes his head. "No, I made this puppy for you." He clarifies and when is met with confused stares elaborates further. "You see, when two people love each other very much they go and get a puppy. But since we're here and there aren't any puppies around, except Freckles, I decided to make you one instead. I wanted to make one for Grif and Simmons but Grif said he's allergic."

Tucker says,"What the fuck?" at the same time Wash goes "Caboose, we're not-" but they're both stopped by the other raising his hands. 

"I do not want to hear it. You take Cuddles," He points at the robodog, "And go now. I have a pillow fort to build and the puppy was using the inner sheet."

Before they can protest they're ushered outside the room and their gift follows at their feet. 

"What the hell was that?" Wash asks once the door is shut behind them.

"I dunno man." Tucker hurries to shrug. "Caboose is weird like that. And I sure ain't in love with you, so see you around." He leaves before Wash can say anything more and doesn't think about why he couldn't look the freelancer in the eye. 

\----- 

Tucker isn't avoiding Washington. No sir. He just always happens to have something to do in another room where Wash isn't currently at, that's all. He's a busy man. And if sometimes he has to duck behind a couch before Wash sees him and then crawl out of the room then that's his own business. And certainly none of Carolina's. 

"You're avoiding Wash." She says flatly, sitting on the chair opposite him on the dinner table at 1am which has always been the time Tucker likes to dinner at. 

"Am not."

Carolina gives him the Church Look™. 

Tucker doesn't flinch. "What makes you think I am?" 

"You jumping in a bush and staying there for thirty minutes when you heard him approach. Or that time you said you had to go help Grif _clean his room_ instead of joining in on movie night? You literally waiting for everyone to go to bed to come have dinner." She counts on her fingers. "I can continue."

Tucker closes his eyes. "So what if I am?" 

"It's bad for teamwork."

"We're not working."

"For now." 

Tucker groans. 

"Why are you avoiding him anyway?"

Tucker groans harder. 

"Tucker." Only Carolina can say his name and make it a threat. 

"Fine! It's that stupid dog Caboose made us, okay!" He blurts out. "He said some stupid shit about people who love each other needing puppies and now he's made it all weird!" 

Carolina just stares for a moment then laughs. She doesn't laugh too often. "You're flipping out because of _Caboose_?" Then she pauses. "Oh. Because he's right." 

"Carolina, I swear to God if you say that out loud again, I don't care that you can break all the bones in my body, I will bite you."

"Bite me?" She snorts. 

"Shut up."

The woman schools her face into calmness again and looks like she's about to say something but then her eyes catch something above Tucker's shoulder and she stands up instead. She rounds the table and gives Tucker a pat on the shoulder on her way out. He fucking knew he should sit facing the door. 

A second later Wash steps into view and Tucker's heart finds its way into his throat. The little robopup has been taking turns following after the two of them is at Wash’s heels. 

"Would you look at the time!" He exclaims and the pained look on the other's face makes him freeze. 

"Tucker." If Carolina could make his name sound like a threat Wash was great at making it a plea.

Tucker sinks back into his chair. 

"Uh… How much did you hear?" He asks as Wash takes Carolina's chair.

He shrugs. "Enough."

"Wash-"

"Do you like me, Tucker?" Wash sounds tired and way too indifferent to be genuine. Tucker is sure that if his heart rises up a little more he'll spit it on the table. 

"Look, Caboose does stupid shit, we know that."

"Not what I asked."

Tucker closes his eyes. "I don't want things to become weird."

"I saw you try to shove yourself under the couch. I'd say they're weird already." Wash points out. 

Fuck. Tucker's skin burns. 

"Look, I don't know how to date people, okay!" He blurts out. "I'm a love making machine, but I don't really know what comes after the love making and it scares me and you scare me because I wanna do stupid shit like holding your hand and whatever and I also don't think I can handle you saying no either so yes, I would really like to shove myself under the couch now too."

_Fuck._

Wash doesn't say anything for a while and Tucker really considers hiding under the table at least. 

"Tucker, I don't know how to date people either." He says, sounding a little astonished. "My people skills are so rusty they have holes in them. And I don't want us to be weird either and we don't have to do anything about this if you really don't want to but I'd appreciate it if you didn't run away every time you saw me."

It's rare for Tucker to not have an immediate response. But he doesn't want to rush this one. So he takes the time to look at Wash. His tired eyes, the wrinkle between his eyebrows, permanent thanks to his constant frowning, the curve of his lips, the small scars on his face. He doesn't want to run from that.

"Wanna go out for lunch tomorrow?" He asks in the end.

Wash gives him a look. "Tucker we live on a-" 

"Wash."

The other stops and even looks a little sheepish. He licks his lips and Tucker tries not to think too hard about it. "A lunch sounds great."

Tucker grins. "It's a date then."

"It's a date." Wash nods and they both laugh. 

Cuddles makes a beeping noise under the table. One day, Tucker thinks, he’ll have to thank Caboose. One day.

**Author's Note:**

> 1 comment = 1 cuddle for Cuddles


End file.
